Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in December 2023. It was updated on Dec. 2, 2024 to include information about scams with the same claim that surfaced this holiday season.
Facebook (FB) pages and groups shared graphics claiming that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is giving away P7,000 financial assistance this month. These online registrations are fake and the publishers are not affiliated with the agency.
A graphic posted on Dec. 17 featured a photo of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the agency’s logo and a file photo of P1,000 peso bills. The text in the graphic claimed that both “poor” and “non-poor” Filipinos can avail of the assistance. Its caption read:
“DSWD 4PS UPDATES: AYUDÄ PARA SA MÄHIHIRAP NA PILIPINO. MAG PALISTA NA DITO. Kapag naka palista na kayo mag hintay Ng text mula sa DSWD upang iclaim ang P7000 nyo. Basta poor at Hindi mayaman kasama dito. Tatanggap ang DSWD Ng application Hanggang December 31, 2023 lang
(CASH ASSISTANCE FOR POOR FILIPINOS. REGISTER HERE. Once you are registered, wait for a text from the DSWD to claim your P7,000. Poor and not rich individuals are included here. The DSWD will only accept applications until December 31, 2023).”
On Dec. 18, a similar graphic featuring former DSWD secretary Erwin Tulfo also claimed that the agency is giving away the same amount of cash as “school allowance,” “medicine allowance,” “hospital bill,” and “grocery allowance” to chosen beneficiaries. The post’s caption said:
“GOOD NEWS ₱7000 AYUDÄ BAWAT PAMILYA FROM SEN. RAFFY TULFO. PAANO MAKAKUHA? MAGPALISTA NA ONLINE PALISTA KA DITO. MAG HANDA LAMANG NG ISANG VALID ID. SALAMAT
(P7000 CASH ASSISTANCE FOR EVERY FAMILY FROM SEN. RAFFY TULFO. HOW TO GET IT? REGISTER ONLINE HERE. JUST PREPARE ONE VALID ID. THANK YOU).”
Both posts carried links where netizens can supposedly register.
These online registrations are fake and are from pages and groups not affiliated with the DSWD.
Last March, the DSWD warned the public about cash assistance registrations that were not from their official website and social media accounts.
On Nov. 20, DSWD’s official FB page posted an advisory against similar posts, clarifying that they are not providing any financial assistance worth P7,000 both for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) members and non-4Ps members. The link in the post debunked by DSWD carried the same domain name as one of the links in the circulating graphics.
The links lead netizens to e-commerce sites, a tactic commonly used in online scams.
Netizens fell for the wrong information, with several sharing their personal information and asking how to register in the comment sections.
VERA Files Fact Check previously debunked a similar graphic that circulated last September. (Read Netizens fall for FAKE P7K ‘DSWD’ giveaway)
The posts from the FB pages 4P’s All Region Updates (created on June 14) and DSWD Daily Updates (Nov. 14) on FB groups 4P’s UPDATES AND PAY OUT SCHEDULE (June 11) and 4PS ALL REGION (created on Jan. 17 as 4PS GROUP CHAT) collectively garnered 10,302 interactions according to the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle.
VERA Files previously flagged other posts from the FB page 4P’s All Region Updates and the mentioned FB groups. (Read Impostor groups share FAKE online registration for DSWD’s food stamp program)
Update: A year later, in December 2024, the same scam claiming to offer P7,000 from the “DSWD” was sent by a reader to VERA Files Fact Check for verification. The scam was published by the website m.rearsneak.top.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
